The community fund is currently closed to new applications.
The reopening date is to be confirmed in 2024.
Organic Sea Harvest (OSH) has partnered with aqua feed supplier, Cargill, to jointly launch the ‘Bho Mhuir gu Tir’/From Sea to Land community fund.
The fund was launched on the 2nd June 2021, coinciding with OSH’s first harvest. The community fund forms part of OSH’s ongoing commitment to bring social, cultural and economic benefits to the north-east Skye community it farms within. The principal aim of OSH’s community initiative is to provide financial support to local organisations for projects which bring tangible benefits to sustain the rural district of Staffin, known as An Taobh Sear (East Side) in Gaelic. The area has a resident population of more than 570 people, who live in 23 crofting townships dotted around Staffin Bay and the Trotternish Ridge.
A committee composed of OSH and Cargill workforces, along with local community representatives, will decide which projects are supported. Each project will need to submit an expression of interest prior to being awarded any funding.
In 2023, the community fund won the 'Community Initiative' award at the Aquaculture Awards.
For more information about the fund and to apply, please email:
Here are some of the projects that have been awarded funding:
Portree Community Allotments
Awarded £2030.40 for materials and machinery to install new deer fencing around the allotments site.
The Portree Allotments project is a combined initiative between Portree and Braes Community Trust and Skye Housing Association, to create community growing areas, individual allotments, an orchid, and fully accessible paths on an area of wasteland near the centre of Portree.
Phase 1 of the project is now underway, which will create 8 allotments (growing space for up to 16 households), along with the necessary drainage and infrastructure works to support the growth of the area as the project moves on to future stages.
“The timing of this award couldn't be better. After investing many hundreds of hours of volunteer time the community are finally progressing with the purchase of the allotments site and the working group were keen to keep up momentum and start developing the site as soon as possible for the coming growing season. The fencing is a key element of the first phase of the project and the support from Organic Sea Harvest has meant that the community is now significantly closer to realising their vision for the chosen allotments site. Thank you to the Organic Sea Harvest team. "
Fiona Thomson
Development Officer
Portree & Braes Community Trust
Find out more:
Edinbane Primary School
Awarded £1000 to refresh the school library and help encourage pupils to read for enjoyment.
Edinbane school, located north of Portree, has a current school roll of just 8 pupils between the primary and nursery classes.
The funding award will be used to upgrade and refresh the school library, which will include new fiction and non-fiction books. The library has been chosen by pupils as their “chill-out zone” and it is hoped that the upgrade will help encourage more pupils to read for enjoyment.
Helping Hands
Awarded £5000 to start a breakfast club at the local high school, supplying Christmas food hampers to the local community along with basic home packs, and to run intergenerational music and social activities.
"Helping Hands are delighted to receive funding as this will enable some projects to happen in the coming year such as intergenerational activities to help get us socialising again and encouraging more community involvement with various groups. We are very excited to see what we can achieve and it wouldn’t have been possible without this injection of funds."
Sharon Fenlon
Helping Hands Chairperson
New Defibrillator for
MacKenzie Stores, Stenscholl
Awarded £1400 to help complete community fundraising.
The new defibrillator has now been installed outside Mackenzie Stores in Stenscholl (near Staffin) and is available 24/7 for use.
Sgoil Stafainn Parent Council
Awarded £2000 to support after-school clubs, school transport to external events, and to install new blinds in 3 classrooms.
"While normal community driven fundraising events have been curtailed due to Covid, Sgoil Stafainn Parent Council are very grateful to OSH & Cargill for this £2000 grant which has enabled the Parent Council to continue supporting the school in these difficult times."
Jock Gordon
Treasurer of Sgoil Stafainn parent council.
Skye Camanachd
Awarded £3000 for 3 years to provide training tops and camans (sticks) to the shinty teams.
Organic Sea Harvest’s local shinty team, Skye Camanachd, has been awarded funding in a 3 year sponsorship deal to buy training strips for all the teams and help the club to maintain and replace their camans (shinty sticks) over this period. The club has dedicated fitness and training coaches, with the health and well-being of players being a top priority.
“The club are delighted at the support OSH has provided and hope to have a continued relationship in the years ahead. Coming out of COVID financially is a burden on everyone and a charity sport club like Skye Camanachd has naturally felt that. The donation from the community fund alleviates the club having to spend its limited resources and the players having to spend their own money. We are very fortunate to have the support of local businesses like OSH.”
Thomas Wilson
Chairperson of Skye Camanachd
Radio Skye
Awarded £9075.62 to purchase new indoor and outdoor broadcasting equipment, which will also be used to help offer training opportunities to young people on the island.
The local radio station for Skye and Lochalsh is going through a period of significant development. The station has now launched a new youth training programme which uses the equipment that was purchased with support from the community fund.
“We are thrilled to be successful in our funding application to Organic Sea Harvest. We have been making a lot of exciting changes at Radio Skye this year with the installation of two new antennas and new software. The funding allows us to buy spare transmitter equipment and some very fancy mini desks that will make a huge difference to our outside broadcasting as well as equipment we can take into schools to teach presenting and broadcasting remotely. As a commercial station, all our running costs rely on advertising income which means we need to fundraise for new equipment. Getting this fund means we can make some serious steps into securing the future of the local radio station.”
Suzy Lee
Station Manager
Matheson Place playground project - Portree
Awarded £9955 to help install new playground equipment.
